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2011: A Year in Review

It's now December, we are a mere 30 days from the end of the world in 2012.

So let's share our fond memories of 2011, what has happened to us and what has happened to the world.

For me, 2011 was the most chaotic, turbulent time of my life. I almost died Three separate times (two of which I'll share here), I finished law school, got my ostomy reversed, and began my career.

January 2011: I am earnestly wanting to die. None of the treatments for my crohn's have worked and I am in an enormous amount of pain and can barely move.
February 2011: Get new treatment of Crohn's! Sweet! It works! I stay up for 72 hours and feel amazing! I then immediately go to a climbing wall, fall off the climbing wall, and tear part of my intestines out of the ostomy 'socket' as it were, causing a massive prolapse of the intestinal material and an enormous amount of pain.
March 2011: Immediately following Stale-PAX 11', which was amazing, I am hospitalized to do a 'revision' of the ostomy to secure it in place. After the surgery, I somehow am in more pain than I was before the surgery and almost immediately prolapse again.
April 2011: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/141131/tornado-destroyed-my-house/p1

A mile wide tornado rips through the state of Alabama and destroys my house while I am inside it. It was a rental that I shared with other law students, so no memories were lost. I only survived because 10 minutes before the tornado hit, I got a text message asking simply "are you OK?" This text message woke me up, made me check the weather online, and gave me time to hop in the restroom. My room is the upper-left hand corner of the top picture. You can imagine what would have happened if I had been in there instead of in the bathroom, where the ceiling did not collapse and I was able to keep debris out by keeping the door closed.

May:
Law school decided not to cancel exams. I take all of my exams, I walk at graduation, I get my bar study books late due to the storm, and live in a hotel for the month.

June-July: I study for and take the bar exam. I am in enormous pain the entire time due to the prolapse returning. I do not think I will pass and view passing the bar as impossible. I worry about my job security and what I will do when the inevitable news comes.

August: Woo Pax Woo
September: With my health worsening, work let's me have time off to go to the Mayo Clinic to get an ostomy revision done. I have to go up to the Mayo clinic because the surgeon who performed the revision in March has 'fired' me and refuses to have anything more to do with me. A more local doctor insists that the only way to do a revision is by cutting away prolapsing tissue. I tell him he's full of shit and leave.
September-October: Good news! The ostomy can be taken down, I can live a normal life! Bad news! There were massive complications, the intestines aren't starting up like they should, I am vomitting every day to the point where they have to put a PIC line in. I'm on a morphine pump but it doesn't help the pain. I am like this for three weeks before finally being released.
October: I find out I passed the academic portion of the bar! This was totally unexpected news and is totally boss hog killer.
November: After missing a week of work due to intense pain, vomitting, and fever, I am ordered to take sick leave and get my problems addressed because, and I quote: "All the things you have done are worthless if you end up dead." Turns out, this was a fairly accurate statement. There was a stricture which reduced an area at the end of my digestive tract to 2 mm wide and was close to being completely shut off. Which would have meant no food could go in and nothing could leave. They performed a procedure to expand it to 16mm.
December/Current: I am recovering from a massive digestive infection from the complication of being 'backed-up' for so long. I should be back to work next week and, hopefully, will be right as rain in the future.

I have trouble putting my life down like that, my memory must be really shitty. I remember things happened but I have no idea when. When people can remember what years songs came out/what grade they were in/etc I just don't get it. My brain doesn't work that way.

Hell, this was just me putting down the most life-altering and significant possible things on my list. PAX in August just got a 'woo.' I'm sure if you just focused on the things that were HOLY SHIT BIG HUGE DEALS this year you could do the same. I just happened to have something happen every single fucking month D:

Hell, this was just me putting down the most life-altering and significant possible things on my list. PAX in August just got a 'woo.' I'm sure if you just focused on the things that were HOLY SHIT BIG HUGE DEALS this year you could do the same. I just happened to have something happen every single fucking month D:

Well. Overall I had an exceptional year. In a lot of ways I can't complain. I've done some amazing things, bought some wonderful expensive toys, visited Australia, made a lot of money, and almost got back together with the girl I wanted to be the One.

Of course I also had my apartment ceiling collapse during the brief two hour period I wasn't home one weekend, I began experiencing severe stress/anxiety at my job to the point I stopped eating and taking care of myself, was forced to quit the highest-paying job I ever had, feel into great depression and shame over it, was marooned on a rocky Australian coast after the boat capsized, didn't get the girl after all, and lost nearly all my money putting myself back together and getting another job not quite as well paying as the first.

Mostly great stuff happened to me, just the year is ending on a low note, but, I suppose that's how we get to the New Year feeling like we've got something to prove.

I worked a lot, ate a lot of cupcakes and chipotle burritos, watched a lot of tv, took a lot of bike rides, smoked too many cigs, spent too much time on the metro. Kind of blah, but not bad overall. Feels alright, mang

2011 was something of a non-year for me. I feel as though the looming spectre of 2012 has just compressed it into a few months, regardless of all the rad shit that went down, the masses of exams taken, the global shifts and the release of SKYRIM

January - June: Finished school
August - Early September: Finished school for real this time, no seriously guys
September - November: Got job, went to work
Late November: Moved into apartment with friend, built new computer, generally improved quality of life

I think I had a not-bad year, mostly due to trying new things. Going on holiday with a heap of semi-strangers was a big deal and a great start to the year. And I successfully asked a girl on a date! Even though nothing came of it but that's fine.

On the downside I'm continuing to doubt myself about my career choices and it's really killed my motivation to study.

April - July 2011: Start working my first extended job! Develop a clinical disgust towards theme park guests, theme park management, small mammals and birds. Also, Sheri's birthday party, where I learn that maybe three boxes of Mountain Dew is a little much.

Jan.-Feb.: Rock and roll all night and party every day.March-Oct.: I had season tickets to the Philadelphia Union (MLS), also I traveled a lot following the team on the road, to DC (twice), New York and Toronto. Also rock and roll all night and party every day.Nov.-Dec.: Eat a whole lot. Rock and roll all night and party every day.

oh also I worked as a reporter for a small, local paper. I spent some time looking for a higher paying job, but no dice yet. Basically holding on for dear life to the one I've got now.

january /marchish? - I finished losing a bunch of weight, starting in the tail end of '10. About 40 lbs total. (now i'm like 130 :> )

march - I started dating the prettiest girl in the whole world

somewhere in here i lose my wisdom teeth. i get real weird on painkillers, apparently.

june - have my very first art show! at a coffee shop! with my girlfriend. also, lose my virginity on the night of the opening reception.
then i went to a really fucking neat arts summer program thing for painting for two weeks, and it was one of the most positive experiences of my life

july/august - lots of good time with the lady, do drugs, party, drop acid and have a religious experience, get caught having sex in a public park, bear with temperatures consistently over 100 degrees for way too long

august - girl leaves for college, get real sad. things get better, go to my uncle's wedding in georgia, the lady flies down (her dad is a flight attendant so she can fly for free~ ), have an awesome time.

until now - mostly dealing with school, applying to colleges, scholarships, building an art portfolio to apply to school with. the girl has visited a lot. thanksgiving break was particularly dandy.

also i've been taking an intro to film course at the college, it is really cool and interesting.

January: Get accepted to college! Feel happy and successful.
April: Decide where to attend college, and realize that, for the first time in my life, I will be separated from my brother for an extended period of time.
June: Graduate High School. My brother and I walk across the stage one after another.
July: I leave the USA for the first time and visit Europe. I love it.
August: I say goodbye to BugBoy as he leaves for college. A short while after, I leave for college myself.
September: Get settled in at school, start classes.
November: Reunite with BB for thanksgiving. Good times are had.
December: First semester is almost finished!